


Katie's Best-Guess-At-Elvhen-Dictionary

by katiebour



Category: Dragon Age
Genre: Dalish Origin, Elves, Gen, Languages and Linguistics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-09
Updated: 2012-03-09
Packaged: 2017-11-01 17:08:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/359253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katiebour/pseuds/katiebour
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>*Updated 11/13/12 with all the tidbits from DA:O, including the ghosts in the ruins, that I translated a few months ago.*</p><p>A look at, and break-down of the elvhen language.  Excellent content and all kudos to the folks at the Dragon Age Wiki- I don't agree with them on every translation, but they've done a fantastic job, especially Ms. Bellaknoti (who by the way writes <i>amazing</i> Zevran fanfic. <3</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Language Overview, Nouns and Proper Nouns

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Dragon Age Wiki, Elven Language](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/7212) by bellaknotti and co.. 



My guess is that Dalish/Elvhen is agglutinative, meaning that suffixes and prefixes can be stacked, much like German, to form incredibly long words.  For example:

da- little (prefix)

len- person

da’len- “little person,” child

-en- many/plural (suffix)

da’len’en- “little-person-many,” kids, or alternatively

da’vhen “little people,” children.

I’m sure there’s shades of meaning between da’len’en and da’vhen.  Given that da’len is also what Marethari affectionately calls Merrill as a pet name/slang, I’m sure that da’len’en is the more casual version, i.e. “kids” while da’vhen might be “children.”

“Viran se lan’aan?” would translate as “I go you people allow?” Since “you people” is the subject and the action they’re taking is “allow,” I infer that Elvhen is verb-final in its sentence structure, with perhaps some interplay as to whether subject or object come first in a sentence. This would be very similar to Japanese. The second person plural pronoun "se" would also imply reflexive verbs, as in Spanish, which I have listed on the Verbs page in parentheses as optional.

 

**Nouns:**

abelas- sorrow

adahl- tree

adahl’en- forest

alas- earth, dirt

an- place, location

anna/annar- year

annala- eons/centuries (from anna "year" and a suffix -ala meaning "many/large number"

ara- journey

ara’val- long journey

ara’vel- wagon (based on ara’val as “long journey,” _ara_ is probably “journey”, with “wagon” being literally something like “journey-maker/box”?)

arla- home

asha- woman

assan- arrow

atisha- peace

bor’assan- bow (lit “arrow-thrower”)

da’len- child/sweetie/baby (lit. “little person”, also a term of endearment)

din- the dead (lit. “one who is not.”)

dirth- speaker, speech

durgen- stone

durgen’len- dwarf/dwarves (lit. “Person of the Stone”)

elgar- spirit

el’u- secret (based on el’u’vi’an, lit “our-alone”)

el’u’vi’an-  magical mirror portal/communicator (lit. “our-alone-go-place” i.e. “our secret transporter!” Damn those secretive elves and their technology XD)

ena’an’sal- blessing or gift (lit “again place come,” tying into the universal Dalish desire for a homeland or place to which they can return, the highest blessing.)

era- story, tale, dream.

eth- safety

falon- friend, guide

fen- wolf (probably the origin of Fenris’ name- the use of the elvhen word would then imply “little elvhen wolf.”  Would also probably be a constant insult given the view of elves and their “inferior” culture and language as perceived in Tevinter.)

ghi- beast, animal

ha’hren- elder (lit. “old respected person”)

ha’lam- the end

halla- intelligent deer-like creature that pulls the Dalish ara’vel.  Often killed by humans for the horns which are sold in Tevinter, an unforgivable insult to the Dalish.

ha’mi’in- rest (lit. “old blade inside;” fig. “sheath the old knife” or “let old conflicts go.”  Elves can’t even take a break unless they set aside the massive chips on their shoulders for a bit, hmm?  :P)

har- fear

hren- respected person.

in- dwelling

inan- eyes (lit. “inside place,” e.g. windows to the soul.)

lan/len- person

lath- love

lethal- kin (my best guess XD)

lethal’lin- blood-kin, a term of endearment for a male friend.  (Perhaps implies that ties of blood are counted in a patrilineal sort of way?  Considering that only elvhen fathers produce elvhen children, the question of “who’s the father?” might be a rather important one from a clan to their female members.)

lethal’lan- kinswoman, a term of endearment for a female friend.

lin- blood

mah’vir- tomorrow (lit. “ahead-way”)

mama- mother (mamae is the archaic form)

mana- era, eon

melana/melava- time

mi/mis- blade, knife.

na/nan- revenge, vengeance

nehn- joy

numin- tears (lit. “cry-many”)

nuven- wish

nuven’in-  wishes, wants (lit. “wish-many”)

rahn- thing

(from the phrase "Ga rahn s'dael!" lit. "All thing you (plural) ruin!")

revas- freedom

serannas- thanks

shiral- journey (see also ara)

sule’din- endurance (lit. “unto death”, my best guess for _sule_ )

sule’vi’in- certainty (lit. “unto the way inside”)

than- tool

vallas- writing

vallas’lin- the Dalish system of tattoos (lit. “writing-blood”)

vel-???? (see ara’vel “wagon”)

vhen- people (this is plural; len is singular, “person”, and hren is an honorific version, “respected person.”)

vhen’an- home, heart (lit. “people place.”)

vi/vir- way, path

 

**Proper Nouns:**

Anaris- one of the Forgotten Ones.

Andruil- Goddess of the Hunt, creator of the Dalish credo Vir Tan’adahl.  The hawk is beloved to her.

Arlathvhen- Meeting of the Dalish clans, every ten years

Asha’bel’annar- The Woman of Many Years; Flemeth.

Daern’thal- one of the Forgotten Ones.

Dirth’am’en- Keeper of Secrets (lit. “Speech-keeps-many.”)  Twin brother of Falon’Din, child of Mythal and Elgar’nan.  Became separated from his twin Falon’Din when Falon’Din took a dying deer beyond the Veil, and wandered, meeting the ravens Fear and Deceit, who attempted to convince him that Falon’Din had abandoned him.  He defeated Fear and Deceit and is their master.  He gave each creature a secret to keep, and all revealed their secrets except for the bear.  Thus bears are beloved of Dirth’am’en.

Elgar’nan- Spirit of Vengeance- the Elvhen All-Father and god of vengeance/destruction.  He cast the sun from the sky when it grew jealous of the things of earth and burned them, only relenting when Mythal intervened.  Common curse (probably short for “Elgar’nan take you!” or something similar), especially when throwing/destroying things.

Ena’sal’in’abelas- Arcane Warriors that protected the burial grounds at Sundermount, to the death.  Lit. “Repeat-With-Sorrow,” perhaps a call the surviving Dalish to sing dirges in their memory as they sacrificed their lives in the futile attempt against the Tevinters.  Shortened to “Enasalin.”

Falon’Din- Guide of the Dead, elvhen god of death and fortune.  Twin brother to Dirth’am’en, child of Elgar’nan and Mythal.  Found a dying deer and carried her in his arms beyond the Veil, solidifying his role in the pantheon as the friend of the dying and dead.

Fen’Harel- the Dread Wolf.  Lord of Tricksters, bringer of nightmares, he betrayed the gods of good (the Gods) and evil (the Forgotten Ones) by tricking them into their respective realms and sealing them away there, nevermore to interfere in the affairs of mortals.

Geldauran- one of the Forgotten Ones.

Ghi’lan’na’in- Mother of the Halla, goddess of guidance and navigation.  Once an elf and the chosen of Andruil.  She found a hunter that had killed a hawk and cursed him so that he could never again kill, and in revenge he blinded, gutted and bound her, leaving her for dead.  She prayed to Andruil, who sent rabbits to chew through her bonds, but as she was still wounded and blind, Andruil turned her into the first halla.  (lan’na’in would translate as “person-revenge-inside... no reference to “ghi” but given that Ghi’lan’na’in was a human turned into a halla I’m guessing that it means something like “beast/animal,” thus giving us “animal-person-revenge-inside.”)

June- the God of Craft.  Taught elves how to make weapons, clothing, aravels, and leatherworking.

Mamae- Mother

Mythal- the Great Protector, who calmed Elgar’nan’s rage, the patron of motherhood and justice.  She also created the moon and is often invoked when asking for protection.

Sylaise- the Hearthkeeper, sister of Andruil.  Represented by the Vir Atish’an.  Patron of childbirth, the hearth, magic, medicine, and weaving.

Uth’then’era- the Waking Dream of the immortal elves of old.

Vir Tan’adahl- the Way of the Three Trees, the Dalish code/philosophy created by the goddess Andruil and consisting of:

            Vir Assan- the Way of the Arrow- “Fly straight and do not waver.”

            Vir Bor’assan- the Way of the Bow- “Bend but never break.”

            Vir Adahl’en- the Way of the Forest- “Together we are stronger than the one.”

This is recited as:  “Fly straight and do not waver, bend but never break, and together we are stronger than the one.  We are the last of the el’vhen’an, and never again shall we submit.”

Vir Atish’an- the Way of the Peaceful Place (the path of the healer, followers of Sylaise)


	2. Verbs and an Example Declension

Verbs end in –a in the infinitive.  Removing the final –a gives us the noun version (i.e. “run” becomes “runner”, “throw” becomes “thrower”, and so on.)

 

**Verbs:**

ama- to keep/protect

bora- to throw/loose

dala (archaic "daela", from the phrase "Ga rahn s'dael!")- to slash/skim/kill/destroy

dara- 1) to be 2) to pierce

dirtha- to speak/tell

etha- to be safe

hima- to become

ina- to live, dwell

ena- to appear, emerge, come

ena sal- to repeat (lit. “come again.”  Conjugate as with ena and affix sal.)

hara- to fear

isala- to need (similar to the Qunari word for “need”- more language bleeding over)

lana- to allow

latha- to love

numa- to cry

nuvena- to wish

rosa- to stand/last (through time)

shala- to protect

(From the phrase "Ir emah'la shal!")

sulena- to sing

serannasa- to thank

thena- to wake up

vallasa- to write

vena- to find

vira- to go

 

An example declension, with known reflexive pronouns listed in parentheses- possibly optional, but similar to Spanish construction

(conjugation informed by the following words and phrases: 

An’daran’atish’an, el’u’vi’an, Dirth’am’en, vhenan him dorf’felas, isala, dar’eth shiral, viran se lan'aan)

vira, to go

I go                  (ar/em) viran                we go- (ar'an) vi

you go      (na) ?????        you (plural) go- (se) viraan 

he/she/it goes   (???) vir                 they go- (???) vira

imperative:

(You) Go!                 (na) vir!  


	3. Adjectives, Adverbs, Pronouns and Misc.

Many adjectives are the same as the nouns to which they are related (i.e. the words for “safe” as an adjective and “safety” as a noun are the same, _eth_.)

 

**Adjectives:**

abelas- sorry, regretful

atisha- peaceful

bel- many

da- small

dorf- grey

elvar- difficult

eth- safe

felas- slow

ga- all

ha- old

har’el- feared, dreaded

ir- very, more

shem- quick, fast

then- waking, awake

u- alone

var- long

 

**Prepositions:**

in- inside

mah- ahead

sule- until/unto

 

**Prefixes/Suffixes:** (suffixes seem to start with vowels, so I'm assuming that -la would be -ala, with any additional a's elided, as in "anna-ala" becoming "annala." Also "em-mah-ala" becomes "emah'la" in the phrase "Ir emah'la shal!" with "emah'la" meaning "many hundreds/thousands ahead.) 

-aan long/big/plural (suffix)

-ala/-'la many/large number (suffix)

da- small (prefix)

-en/-in many/multiple/plural (suffix)

-el more (adjective suffix)

-u short/small/singular (suffix)

 

**Adverbs:**

din- no, not

eth- safely

ir- very

mah- ahead

sal- again

tu- still (continuing)

uth- forever

 

**Comparative Adverbs (add –el):**

da’el- smaller

elvar’el- longer, more difficult

eth’el- safer

felas’el- slower

ha’el- older

shem’el- faster, quicker

var’el- longer

 

**Phrases:**

Abelas- I’m sorry.

An’daran atish’an- A formal greeting- “Enter this place in peace.”  (lit. “place-I am, peaceful-place.”)

An’eth’ara- an informal greeting or welcome (lit. “place-safe-mine”)

Dar’eth shiral- a farewell phrase (lit. “goes-safely-journey;” e.g. “May your journey go safely.”)

Din- no.

El’vhen- the elves (lit “Our People”)

‘Ma nuvenin- as you wish. (lit. “my wishes,” probably shortened from something like “Na nuvenin dara ma nuvenin” e.g. “Your wishes are my wishes.”)

Shem’len- derogatory slang for non-Dalish; lit. “quick person.”

The dual ara/emma of the pronouns may suggest gendered pronouns as in Japanese.  I have no idea which would masculine and which is feminine.  XD  It might also be a status marker (i.e. “my humble home” from an inferior vs. “my exalted home” from a superior.)  It could additionally be old Dalish vs. new Dalish- emma is used in the song Suledin, whereas ara is used in an’eth’ara, a greeting in modern, common use.  I’m pretty sure the possessive ‘ _ma_ is simply a contraction of _emma_.  _‘Ma_ is also in common use.

 

**Pronouns:**

I                       ar/em                           we ar'an/em'an

you                  na (archaic "nae")  you guys se/s' (as in "Ga rahn s'dael!")

he/she/it for they/them ???

 

**Possessive Pronouns:**

my/mine          ara/emma/‘ma              our/ours           el

yours               na

his/hers/its


	4. Suledin and Rogue Heart, with translations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> These are just my best guesses. Rogue Heart, for all that it's the same lines over and over seems to have a lot of sounds that are really rare in the known Elvish lexicon. Again, totally non-canon, but it was fun!

Poetic translations are below the literal.

 

**Suledin**

_Melava in’an enansal_             once/time we live-place homeland/blessing  
 _ir su araval tu elvaral_               more happen long journey still more difficult  
 _u na emma abelas_                alone you, my regret  
 _in elgar sa vir mana_                 spirit inside again way eon  
 _in tu setheneran din emma na_    inside still thin waking dream places not mine, yours  
  
 _lath sulevin_                             love unto the way inside  
 _lath araval ena_                         love long journey come/appear  
 _arla ven tu vir mahvir_              home have many still way tomorrow  
 _melana ‘nehn_                          time joy  
 _enasal ir sa lethalin_                  return more clan-blood

 

I think this is a song from an elf not in Uthanera, sung to his or her family/ancestors as they dream in lands long lost.

 

**Endure**

Once we dwelt in our homeland

still on our long journey, now more difficult

my one regret is that you’re alone

the spirit inside, the way we’ve done for an eon of time

inside still, but the places of the tenuous dreaming

no longer mine, no longer yours.

 

stay true to the path of love

the long path of love before us

we may still find a way home tomorrow

that joyful time

when I return once more, my family

 

**Merrill’s Song:  Rogue Heart**

_an etha lethallin_

place keep safe my friend

_mi reth’en sulana lin ma_

blades safe sing blood mine

_vira malena da’na’se’ene_

goes time little all of you appeared

_vira ma vhenan da’na’se’ene_

goes my heart little all of you appeared

 

**Rogue Heart**

Be safe here, my friend

these blades safely sing with my blood

so little time has passed since all of you appeared

I lost my heart a little to all of you when you appeared.


End file.
